Timepiece date ring



DCC. 26, 1967 U, NYDEGGER 3,359,718

TIMEPIECE DATE RING Filed Jan. 19, 1966 INVENTOR Ulrich -NYDEGGl-Il United States Patent O 3,359,718 TIMEPIECE DATE RING Ulrich Nydegger, Bienne, Switzerland, assignor to Enicar SA., a firm of Switzerland Filed Ilan. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 521,713 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 2, 1965, 1,411/ 65 4 Claims. (Cl. 58-58) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Indicating construction for watch, in which a ring having a surface of revolution such as a cone is provided with time indications exposed through a window in a dial section of similar shape.

The present invention relates to a timepiece having `an indicating arrangement, and more particularly to an arrangement for indicating the date.

In a timepiece as provided by the invention, the said indicating arrangement is formed by a date ring of which the upper face, provided with indicating markings, is constituted by a surface of revolution, the said date ring being mounted for turning movement behind the peripheral portion of the dial, which is of corresponding shape and is formed with a window through which the markings :are visible.

The drawings show, by way of example only, one embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan View of a wrist watch, and

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary axial section drawn to a larger scale.

The wrist watch shown comprises a `case of which only the body 1 and the crystal 2 are shown. The said case encloses a movement including a date-mechanism, only the linal moving part of which, constituted by a wheel 3 which completes one revolution in 24 hours, has been shown. The wheel 3 rotates on a raised bead or boss 4a on the plate 4, the plate 4 forming part of the movement. The wheel bears a pin 3a which for each rotation actuates a date-indicating arrangement constituted by a date ring 5 which is of generally triangular form in cross-section and the upper face 6 of which is sloping and bears the date markings. Only a single date marking has been shown in FIGURE 1, but Iit will be understood that the date ring bears a complete set of numerals from 1 to 31, distributed angularly around the date ring.

The date ring 5 rotates within a recess 7 provided in the plate 4; it is held in place by a fixing plate 8 attached to the plate 4, which extends as far as a set of teeth 5a formed internally on the date ring 5, with which teeth the pin 3a co-operates.

A jumper (not shown) acts on the teeth 5a of the date ring 5 so as to insure the stability of the ring in the various angular positions thereof.

The date ring 5 rotates beneath the dial of the watch, which is Iindicated at 9 and the peripheral portion 9a ice of which, shaped like a truncated cone, covers the sloping face 6 of the date ring. A window 10 is provided in the dial 9, in a line with the l2 oclock marking on the dial. The window allows the date-numerals to ybe read.

With the arrangement described, reading the dates is especially easy, since the sloping window faces the eyes of the person wearing the watch on his wrist.

By way of modification, instead of the date ring 5 being solid, it could be formed by a thin disc of V-shaped cross-section, one of the limbs of the V bearing the dates.

Likewise as a modification, the upper face of the date ring 5, and also the peripheral portion 9a of the dial, could be concave, for example, instead of being provided by the flat face of a truncated cone.

Finally, the date ring 5 could bear markings other than dates, for example the names of the days of the week.

What I claim is:

1. A timepiece comprising a glass, a recessed dial including a peripheral portion constituted as a surface of revolution sloping outwardly and upwardly towards the glass, means supporting the glass and dial in operative association, a ring having an upper face constituted as a surface of revolution of a shape corresponding to the first said surface, indicating markings being provided on the said upper face of said ring, means by which the said ring is rotatably mounted behind said peripheral portion of said dial, a window being provided in the said peripheral portion of the said dial in the vicinity of the 12 oclock region thereof and through which the said markings on the ring are visible.

2. A timepiece as claimed .in claim 1, in which the upper face of the said ring and the peripheral portion of the said dial are truste-conical.

3. A timepiece as claimed in claim 1, in which the said ring is constituted by a solid body which is of generally triangular cross-section and which includes teeth carried internally of the ring.

4. A timepiece as claimed in claim 1, in which the said date ring is a thin member of V-shaped cross-section, one of the limbs of which provides the said upper face which bears the ysaid markings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,582,879 1/1952 Meyer 58-58 2,650,467 9/ 1953 Favre 58-58 3,036,424 5/1962 Perrot 58-58 FOREIGN PATENTS 287,288 3/ 1953 Switzerland. 1,136,971 5/ 1957 Switzerland. 1,308,954 10/ 1962 Switzerland.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

MICHAEL LORCH, STANLEY A. WAL,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. A TIMEPIECE COMPRISING A GLASS, A RECESSED DIAL INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL PORTION CONSTITUTED AS A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION SLOPING OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY TOWARDS THE GLASS, MEANS SUPPORTING THE GLASS AND DIAL IN OPERATIVE ASSOICATION, A RING HAVING AN UPPER FACE CONSTITUTED AS A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION OF A SHAPE CORRESPONDING TO THE FIRST SAID SURFACE, INDICATING MARKINGS BEING PROVIDED ON THE SAID UPPER FACE OF SAID RING, MEANS BY WHICH THE SAID RING IS ROTATABLY MOUNTED BEHIND SAID PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID DIAL, A WINDOW BEING PROVIDED IN THE SAID PERIPHERAL PORTION OF THE SAID DIAL IN THE VICINITY OF THE 12 O''CLOCK REGION THEREOF AND THROUGH WHICH THE SAID MARKINGS ON THE RINGS ARE VISIBLE. 